An undisclosed infection has decimated the world’s population. This film follows a family of four who are trying to survive the fallout of this viral apocalypse by escaping a city via the woods, in search of a rural area they used to live in.
Collaborative duo Justin McConnell and Kevin Hutchinson do a fair amount with very little in this film. An amping up of tension helps to replace any large set pieces or dynamic action scenes. Though they are clearly working with a small budget, their minimalist composition does not come off as amateur for they have a nice sense of composition, made clear with their shot choices and editing.
Though the tension is sometimes effective, and this story is nicely shot, there are still some issues with the pacing that detract from this being truly great. This and POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD the fact that the film is essentially a spiritual remake of High Tension, with a gender switch, a few more Evil Dead tribute shots added, and a higher concept back story (I’m referring to the “end of the world”). The big reveal at the climax makes the preceding film feel a bit cheaper, and basically makes the apocalyptic elements of the film almost a total non-issue in hindsight.
Video
Widescreen 2.35:1. The visuals vary quite a bit thanks to the filters the filmmakers place on. Each transfer well, but still seem a little bit erratic during some scene transitions.
Audio
5.1 Dolby Digital and 2.0 are both available.
Anchor Bay was generous in the transfer as the sounds are decently dynamic in all speakers.
Special Features
“Apocalypse on a Budget: The Making of The Collapsed” : A feature length behind-the-scenes documentary. This is a well assembled film that is plenty interesting for fans of the genre, or those curious to see a low-budget operation running in a positive manner.
Commentary by Writer/ Producer / Director Justin McConnell and Producer Kevin Hutchinson: A deeper look into the making of the film for those that did not get enough from the Documentary also included.
Commentary by Actor John Fantasia: Interesting tidbits here but not as in-depth as the other commentary track. As well, the quality is a bit shabby and could be annoying for listeners with sensitive ears.
Music Video for Rob Kleiner’s “Devil in Disguise” : A nice, short tune. Not the most dynamic of video’s but acceptable.
TV interviews from G4TV’s “Electric Playground,” “Naked News,” & Space TV’s “Innerspace.”: All pretty normal promo bits…except naked news which is hosted by (you guessed it) a completely naked woman. Kudos to her interviewees for keeping rather straight faces throughout.
Trailers: Self-explanatory.
Photo Gallery: For behind-the-scenes mostly.
Bios: For cast and crew who have a bit of film industry history. Relatively speaking, this is a cast primarily made of new faces.
Original Score Jukebox: a nice way of highlighting the music. Musicians are often unsung heroes for cinema. Not a lot of films do this, when (I think) all of them should.
There are also a few easter eggs hidden within, so search around.
Final Thoughts
A decent horror film that at least dares to try something a little bit different when forced into a tiny budget, and not resorting to cheesy nudity or gore. A decent effort from the filmmakers. This DVD release has been generously jammed with special features for those interested.
